NBA Notebook: Examining the Terry Rozier backup plan that never came to be

A mere five months ago, Terry Rozier called out his head coach and teammates on the heels of a brutal season for the Celtics. Rozier had flopped as badly as anyone on the roster outside of Kyrie Irving in an ugly 4-1 series loss to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and those remarks likely help to seal his eventual departure from Boston. Still, the Celtics treated the guard like family on the heels of what could have been a messy divorce.

Danny Ainge held all the cards in free agency with Rozier’s restricted rights and had no obligation to take part in a sign-and-trade which sent the 24-year-old to a Charlotte team that couldn’t offer Rozier any more than mid-level exception money ($9-10 million) without some trade help from his former team.

However, the Celtics like to take care of their own while they can, so they did Rozier a favor on the way out the door. With nothing to gain outside of a (mostly) worthless pick that will likely land in the 50s this season, the C’s volunteered to trade Rozier to Charlotte as part of a Kemba Walker sign-and-trade swap to help get him the most money possible. The guard received a monster three-year, $57 million contract from a team that desperately needed a replacement at point guard in what was widely deemed as the biggest overpay of the summer.

While we will spend years wondering just why a rebuilding Hornets squad wanted to invest so much money into a borderline starting guard in Rozier for the next three seasons, it’s evident that the guard did not make any enemies with his comments while walking out the door. In fact, Brad Stevens sounded downright apologetic ahead of Rozier’s return to the Garden on Sunday night.

“Terry and I spent a lot of time, or at least a few discussions last year where obviously, he was frustrated,” Stevens said Saturday. “I don’t think he ever really let it affect him in regards of how he came out and worked and competed. That’s something I always appreciated about him. After he signed that deal, it was fun to text back and forth and just see his reaction. I was really excited for him. He was such a fun person to be around and coach in his young years in the NBA. He’s going to be a really good player for a long time.”

It’s amazing to think about how much has changed for Rozier in just a year, just like the rest of this franchise. The Celtics presumably kept him last summer as insurance for the scenario in which Irving walked during free agency. While it’s no surprise that the Celtics opted for Walker as a top alternative option at point guard in the wake of Irving's departure, it’s fascinating to consider what direction the C’s would have tried to go in if Rozier had delivered a better season in a limited role last year.

While Stevens praised Rozier’s work ethic and compete-level (both fair comments) throughout last season, in spite of his struggles there’s no question that Rozier’s play suffered dramatically as he aimed to post big numbers in limited minutes. He hurt the team as a lackluster distributor and scorer most nights at the point guard spot, getting away from the type of spark that he had provided during the 2017-18 season with his 3-point shooting and defense.

If that guy had showed up consistently in 2018-19, the Celtics may have been in a far different place this fall, even with Irving gone. Keeping the remaining core in place (Terry Rozier, Aron Baynes, Al Horford, Marcus Morris) that helped get the Celtics within one game of the NBA Finals in 2018 would have potentially been an option for this front office to consider instead of opening up max cap room, especially when you remember that a mid-level player ($10 million per season) could have been added to that mix to that group. Keeping Horford was simply unrealistic once a commitment was made to Walker but retaining Rozier and Horford (while matching Philly’s offer) as an alternative path (thus weakening Philadelphia) would have been a fascinating road to go down for this group. Ultimately, that probably would not have been an appealing roster either since it’s hard to envision that group getting by the Bucks even if Rozier played like the best version of himself. Irving was always the key to putting the contender puzzle together and finding an All-Star in his prime to replace him was going to be better than locking up an aging one in Horford and paying Rozier big money for his production.

The Celtics moving forward without Rozier is the best path for the franchise but it won’t stop from his former teammates from recognizing him as he makes his return to the Garden on Sunday night.

“Everyone on this team who’s been here and played with Terry, we love him, have nothing but respect for Terry,” Marcus Smart said. “We wish nothing but the best for him. But he’s no longer wearing the green jersey, so it’s gonna be tough for him. He expects it. He’s gonna come out and try to make a play, and we’re gonna try to make sure Terry doesn’t have a Terry night. He knows it, but that’s the beauty of it. You’re gonna hear us talking trash, laughing, having fun. We love Terry and it will be good to see him.”

Other NBA News and Notes

—Paul George is looking at a return sometime in November after undergoing double shoulder surgery this fall. It will be intriguing to see how well the Clippers can hold their own in the loaded West without him.
—Malik Beasley is another candidate for a rookie extension but the reserve shooting guard turned down a three-year, $30 million deal from Denver. No surprise there given his lack of opportunity. If Rozier was worth twice that last summer, he’s better off waiting after nearly shooting 40 percent from 3 last season.
—Klay Thompson has been ruled out until the All-Star Break by the Warriors as he rehabs his torn ACL. That means Celtics fans won’t get a chance to see him this season unless it’s in the NBA Finals.
—A scary situation for Enes Kanter and Tacko Fall on Friday as Kanter was confronted by two sympathizers of the Turkish government while the pair was exiting a mosque in Cambridge. “They were screaming, they were yelling, they were cursing,” Kanter said Saturday. “They were talking in Turkish so you guys probably don’t understand what they said. But it was pretty crazy, because this is America. You should be safe to come in a mosque and pray peacefully. It was the first time it’s happened to me in America.” The Celtics plan on giving Kanter extra full-time security in the wake of the incident as the center has been outspoken against the Turkish regime in recent years.
—The Spurs are talking contract extension with DeMar DeRozan. Not sure why they would agree to a deal without a hefty payout, given his underwhelming postseason performances in recent years.
—Pascal Siakam is looking for a max extension from the Raptors and she should get it. He’s primed for a huge season in Toronto with Kawhi Leonard out the door and more of the offensive onus falling on him.
—Ian Mahinmi is out for six weeks with an Achilles tendon, which continues to put his four-year contract signed with Washington in 2016 among the frontrunners for the worst deal of the decade.